 PR
BATTLE PLAN FOR WAR By
Jenny Fujita and Joy K. Miura, Fujita & Miura Public Relations
Effective public relations (PR) begins with good planning. How best to communicate
with and positively influence your market depends on many factors including what
your audience is thinking or doing now and what you want them to think or do.
In wartime, there's good and bad news when it comes to communicating with your
publics. The
bad news is that we're all brooding about and preoccupied with the war. The good
news is, we all want the best for the world, no matter what end of the political
or philosophical spectrum we're on. Somewhere in between that good and bad news
lies the fact that we're all in this together, and therefore, no industry, business
or person will escape the impacts of war and terrorism. This
is where planning comes into play. Every business will feel different ripple effects
from the war. The key is to start thinking about the range of impacts war might
have on your business. Here are some things to consider: could your business experience
reduced employee productivity or customer interest as a result of travel delays,
emotional distraction, or military duty? Will a slowdown in nationwide delivery
services affect your product or service delivery? Are your products and services
more or less desirable in wartime? If the battles are protracted, how long can
your business sustain itself without cutting budgets, services or staffing? Will
the war reduce or change your current customer base and if so, do you need to
reach out to a new group of potential customers? So
think of the right questions, answer them as best you can, and develop some creative
and positive ways to address the issues facing your business, from both a communications
and an operations standpoint. Finally, communicate any resulting service changes
to your primary publics. The
video game industry has already found its niche in wartimes. CNN/Money's Chris
Morris reported on March 25 that military-themed video games have been on Top
Ten selling lists for months now and their sales have increased since the war
in Iraq began. The industry has done a great job publicizing this, and is even
developing new versions and games to address the demand. Making
your own battle plan in the midst of wartime will help you determine what you
need to do, if anything, to keep your business afloat and communicate appropriately
with your publics. |
